Sitting in on a recent Oregon Ballet Theatre rehearsal, it's practically impossible to take your eyes off principal dancers Haiyan Wu and Yang Zou as they learn the steps to the "Orpheus Portrait."

"You have to remember that this is about young lovers," says choreographer Kent Stowell, "so every time you touch each other it's like a caress."

As Stowell speaks, Wu and Zou shake out their arms and legs to loosen up before repeating the complicated sequence. After a few false starts, subtle gestures and expressions of longing give the dance the infusion of desire it needs.

In addition to celebrating the physical form, the performances are a chance to take stock of OBT's current lineup of principal dancers. In recent years, several significant retirements have opened up spots for new principals, either promoted from OBT's corps or joining the company from elsewhere. Of the seven current principals, only two of them -- Alison Roper and Yuka Iino -- have held that status since the company introduced rankings in 2007. And the majority of the principals are new blood. Along with Wu and Zou, dancers Brett Bauer and Xuan Cheng have only been principals here for a single season.

But they're anything but green. Several of the recently hired dancers have been principals in companies elsewhere, and you could see that experience on stage in last winter's lush production of "Giselle," which showcased the current crop of principals. Dance critic Martha Ullman West said they "danced with the artistry and technical skill that make this ballet wring your heart."

For Roper, that's what being a principal is all about.

"A principal dancer is a unique artist with the ability to transcend the physical demands and the technique," she says. "They can push through the barrier between the stage and the audience in an interesting and compelling way."

Being able to grab ticket-holders by the heart is an intangible quality that sets principals apart from other dancers. Being able to nail the steps isn't enough.

"The best leading dancers are the ones who capture the public's imagination," says OBT artistic director Christopher Stowell. "They're the dancers we want to see the most."

Making that connection is one of the hardest things to do, says Chauncey Parsons, who has been a principal since 2009.

"Ballet, for me, is becoming much more of a philosophy than a technical exercise," Parson says. "It's about trying to communicate with an audience. It really doesn't matter what story you're telling. Finding out how to impact an audience is an art unto itself."

Part of that art, Stowell says, comes from years of performing, which gives principals a sense of the bigger picture.

"They instinctively understand the point of the whole dance, and they're making a contribution to the whole idea, rather than just their narrow responsibility," he says.

The importance of principals isn't limited to what happens on stage -- they also have a key leadership role. Their attitude and drive can set the tone for things like the company's daily class, where everyone's held to the same exacting standards and diva behavior is a no-no. They also give younger dancers something to aspire to.

"Principals have a maturity of experience," Bauer says. "How you can be a mentor and set an example for younger dancers is important. And with the status of principal, it's easier to lead by example because the other company members are always watching you."

Because all eyes are on the principals, there's a tendency toward perfectionism. But obsessing over getting it right every time can be a double-edged sword.

"I'm always looking for perfection, and sometimes I drive myself crazy," Cheng says. "At every performance, you never know what's going to happen. When you're young, you focus on mistakes, but now I recognize that there's no such thing as perfection, and I try to look at the whole picture."

"You're a lot happier if you're not so worried about every little step," Bauer says. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without having high standards for ourselves. In the end, you have to be OK with it not being perfect, but being perfect for the moment. You can't beat yourself up because this step didn't go well. Well, hey, how about the other 800 steps I did? Why beat yourself up over this little thing, when the feeling people are getting is more important."

View full sizeAndy BattPrincipal dancer Brett Bauer takes on the title role in George Balanchine's landmark ballet "Apollo," presented as part of Oregon Ballet Theatre's season-opening "Body Beautiful" program.

Not so cutthroat

Thanks to movies like "The Turning Point" and "Black Swan," there's a public perception of principal ballet dancers as heartless cutthroats who are determined to get ahead no matter what. That image wasn't helped by this summer's reality TV series "Breaking Pointe," which followed the petty squabbles of members of Salt Lake City's Ballet West, and made one former OBT principal dancer look like a narcissistic back-stabber.

The vibe feels very different in the studios of Oregon Ballet Theatre. There's palpable camaraderie between the principals, and while they admit that there's friendly competition, they mostly learn from each other.

"When we did 'Giselle,' I liked watching Yuka and Haiyan and Xuan go through it," Roper says. "They're not competitive in the way of that reality TV show. They're bringing their A-game, and they have this intensity that's great to watch. With the pressure of a big role, they get very focused. It's exciting, but not like reality TV."

For Iino, backstage intrigue is nothing but a distraction.

"It's a waste of energy to worry about what others are thinking," Iino says. "You have too much to worry about on your own."

That's very different from larger companies, such as the San Francisco Ballet, where Bauer danced before joining OBT. There, principals were given star status, and it was easy to get swept up in envy of that stature.

"I think I was too focused on the title rather than the experience itself," Bauer says. "Looking back now, I can appreciate some of the great things I accomplished, whereas in the moment, it was sometimes hard because I didn't know what I needed to do to move my career along."

Taking care, looking ahead

Because ballet is so physically demanding, each of OBT's principals has dealt with injuries. Iino had torn ligaments a few years ago that forced her to miss some performances. About the same time, Roper suffered a bone infection in her foot that kept her from the company's first tour of South Korea. Zou has problems with his knees and frequently has to apply ice packs to keep swelling under control.

"We've all been broken, and it's frustrating," Zou says. "But you learn from your injuries. I've learned I have to be patient."

Parsons currently is recovering from back problems that kept him offstage during last spring's Dance United performance.

"Having an injury is like being blind," he says. "You have to feel your way through and hope you don't screw anything up too badly while you're recovering."

To avoid injury, they pay close attention to signs of muscle strain during rehearsals. And because pointe shoes are rough on the feet, the women routinely plunge their feet into buckets of ice water.

They also have to pay close attention to what they eat to maintain nutrition and the right look for ballet.

"There's a physical aesthetic that we're held to, and some people can achieve that without dieting," Roper says. "I can't eat quite as freely as I used to. I try to eat more thoughtfully. All that said, I did cook with butter and crème fra‹che last night."

Because ballet doesn't last forever, the principals have to think about what the next chapter in life might hold for them. For some, such as Artur Sultanov, who retired at the end of last season, teaching dance is the next step. Others continue on with the company in other roles, such as Anne Mueller, who retired in early 2011 and now is OBT's director of artistic operations.

"I don't like to think about it," says Parsons, who just turned 30. "But it's coming up sooner than I'd like."

Parsons says he tries to think five years out: "But you never know if the knee or the back or the angle is going to go like that."

Zou, who also is 30, tries to keep focused on the present, though the sore knees serve as a constant reminder of a ticking clock.

"That's something we have to face someday," he says. "I don't think I would ever be able to teach ballet. I'm too impatient. Right now, I'm enjoying dancing so much that I hope it can go on much further. It's going to be hard to stop dancing. I think I'd be lost without it."